Topic: Samuel Johnson

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It depends on what the meaning of 'here' is

A look at 'indexicals' – words whose meanings shift with the user's perspective.
Opinion: Obamacare, the Constitution, and the original meaning of the Commerce Clause

Several lawsuits over the health-care reform's individual mandate hinge on interpretations of the constitution's Commerce Clause. This clause is widely believed to grant Congress broad power over national markets. But that isn't what the founders had in mind.
Who's your dead mentor?

Five reasons why an author from the past may do more to energize your writing than any of today's hip young marvels.
The right wing's perversion of patriotism

Today's conservatives often use a jingoistic brand of patriotism to criticize rivals.
The quest for equal-opportunity nouns

The Monitor's language columnist muses over just who can qualify as a curmudgeon.
50 million footprints play havoc with the grass on the Washington Mall

The grass that covers the Washington Mall, the most visited national park in the United States, is in bad shape. The footprints of 25 million visitors are part of the reason why.
A Tolerable Anarchy

A history of what it means to be free in America.
Is writing really that painful?
The painful life of a writer?
A life without books? Unimaginable!

I didn't grow up in a library, but sometimes it felt that way.
Letters to the Editor

Readers write about displaying American flags in churches.
What our next president should read